Melbourne, Apr 7 (IANS): Australia leg spinner Alana King on Thursday has earned her first Cricket Australia (CA) following a whirlwind season that saw her debut in international cricket through women's Ashes and playing a crucial hand in the Meg Lanning-led side winning their seventh ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title in New Zealand.
"Alana King came into the side during the Ashes and hasn't missed a beat. She produced match-winning performances across all three formats and thoroughly deserves her spot on the list. After the loss of Georgia Wareham to injury, we were in a fortunate position to be able to replace her with another outstanding leg spinner in Alana. It's a real credit to Alana and the Australian Cricket system to have someone of her calibre waiting in the wings ready to go," said Shawn Flegler, Australia women's chief selector.
King's addition meant left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has been dropped from the list after a run with injuries in the past 12 months, including a foot injury which ruled her out of the World Cup. But Molineux earned a contract with Birmingham Phoenix for the 2022 edition of The Hundred competition in England.
"Sophie Molineux is unfortunate to miss out on a contract, she's been an important part of the side over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, she's missed a large amount of cricket due to various injuries, but we feel she can continue to play an important role with a more consistent run of matches. We'll continue to work with Sophie and have full confidence in her finding her way back into the squad," stated Flegler.
Pacer Tayla Vlaeminck and leg-spinner Georgia Wareham have been retained in the list despite being injured for long. "Georgia Wareham and Tayla Vlaeminck retain their contracts, which enables us to continue to support them on their return to play after suffering long-term injuries. Both are progressing well in their rehab, and we look forward to seeing them in action at some stage during the summer," insisted Flegler.
Players can be upgraded to a central contract by being selected in the national side during the year, and can earn upgrades up to 12 points, with women's players earning four points for a Test match and two each for an ODI and T20I respectively.
CA contract list for 2022-23: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck and Georgia Wareham